LEWISTON — One of the first things Mike McGraw emphasized Saturday night was that his team’s work isn’t finished.

Moments after Lewiston dispatched Bangor in an Eastern A semifinal, McGraw told his Lewiston boys’ soccer squad there is still some unfinished business.

Saturday’s win advanced the Blue Devils to the regional final at Hampden Academy on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

“I told the kids to enjoy the win, but that we’re not done,” McGraw said. “We’ve got that game. We’ve got to turn an away game into a home field because we like turf.”

It is the second consecutive year Lewiston has reached the Eastern A final. The Blue Devils lost a heartbreaker last year to Mt. Ararat in the second overtime. That’s a disappointment that might fuel the Blue Devils, but McGraw says it hasn’t even been a topic of conversation.

“We haven’t talked one iota about it,” McGraw said. “Not once have we talked about it. That was last year. This is this year.”

Hampden still provides Lewiston with a chance for a little redemption. The Broncos beat the Blue Devils 4-0 in Lewiston early in the year. It was one of the Blue Devils’ worst outings of the season. Lewiston had two players earn red cards. Hampden outplayed them, and Lewiston lost its composure after a less-than-stellar start.

“If we come to play like we’re capable, we’re formidable,” McGraw said. “We really are, but we have to have focus.”

Lewiston has been playing some of its best soccer down the stretch. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bangor was a prime example. The Blue Devils started strong and played a full game. Lewiston generated some great scoring chances, including hitting the crossbar three times. The Blue Devils were also solid defensively, toughening up against a late Bangor push in the second half.

“We can’t be satisfied with is,” said midfielder Abdi Shariff-Hassan, who had a goal and an assist in the win over the Rams. “We have to go all the way.”

Another crack at Hamden will give second-seeded Lewiston a chance to prove itself against the top-ranked Broncos. Hampden (15-1) outscored opponents  53-8 and posted eight shutouts. That’s pretty comparable to Lewiston, which scored 57 goals and allowed 11 in the regular season. The Blue Devils also have eight shutouts. Both teams are also coming off 2-0 shutouts in the semifinals.

“Hampden defeated us,” Shariff-Hassan said. “We played them and we really know each other. So we’re looking forward to playing them.”

Hampden got four goals from forward Tristan Gardner in the win. He leads a potent Broncos front line. Hampden is also a solid team defensively that works hard and has often been a pretty good rival to Lewiston in recent years. The Blue Devils beat Hampden in the semifinals last fall and the Broncos stunned Lewiston the previous year.

“We’ve got an opportunity,” McGraw said. “We’re a good enough team. That’s the next game. We just have to play it and get it done.”

Between the disappointment of last year’s loss in the regional final and the previous effort against Hampden, the Blue Devils  expect to bring nothing but their best effort to Wednesday’s rematch.

“That’s going to motivate us to work harder and play down to the last second,” Shariff-Hassan said.

kmills@sunjournal.com

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